Come and visit ‘crisis-hit’ police in West Yorkshire, Home Secretary urged

The body representing rank and file police officers in West Yorkshire has written to Home Secretary Amber Rudd inviting her to visit the county.

Nick Smart, chairman of the West Yorkshire branch of the Police Federation, issued the invitation a month after challenging Amber Rudd to witness the ‘crisis conditions’ local officers are working in.

According to the Federation’s website, Mrs Rudd promised to visit West Yorkshire if re-elected in the General Election, when she spoke at its annual conference in May. During a question and answer session, Mr Smart said demand on officers “has exploded”.

He said: “We’ve got custody suites that look like an A&E ward because of mental health issues. We’ve got officers sent to hospital with people who are suicidal. It’s a crisis across the country, officers are going without meal breaks, working extended hours, that’s the reality. We do not have the money or the cops to do the job.

“There aren’t enough cops to deal with the demand, so I’m going to ask you, Home Secretary, are you going to invest in the police service?

“We’re robbing Peter to pay Paul – will you give us more money? Until you resolve that we are always going to be on the back foot.”

West Yorkshire Police has lost 18 per cent of its workforce since 2010, according to Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary.